Que Pasa in Cabo?

March 21, 2016 Edition

BY: DAVID FLORES

Gulf of California becomes National security issue. Mexico’s national commission of protected natural areas (Conanp) director Alejandro del Mazo wants to classify our Gulf of California, also called Sea of Cortes, as a fully protected natural zone, “not only for the protection of nature, but also as an important component of national security.”

The change will help preserve marine vaquita, a species of porpoise endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California which is listed as critically endangered.

The Gulf is one of the most diverse seas on the planet, and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates and 875 species of fish and marine mammals, with many of them endemic to the area. Plus, it is home of 60% of Mexico’s fisheries production and export. The initiative, said del Mazo, “will guarantee fisheries sustainability and richness and will add protection to the Cabo Pulmo reef, the second largest reef barrier in the world.”

But some groups are against such protection. Opposition comes from land owners who don’t want to see the value of their land go from something to nothing, and there are mining operations and small towns in the proposed areas that are also nervous about the land grab.

There goes the neighborhood. According to local consular agent MIlitza Perez, there are approximately 20,000 Canucks living in Cabo either part or full time. They are the second largest foreign population, as Americans, according to their consul general in Tijuana, represent a total of 30,000 residents down here. You will notice both figures are rounded up/down to the nearest 10,000, a good indication that they actually have no idea how many of you are here.

Popular watering hole shut down. Officials from Profepa, Mexico’s environmental watchdog, shut down the popular Tabasco’s restaurant/bar on Medano beach, just south of the Cascadas timeshare resort, on charges that it does not have approved environmental impact studies for its tiny little building. That is, if you can call a bunch of wood planks and a thatched roof a building. Actually, the restaurant did have a permit for a 65 square meter building, but the thing kind of grew in the night, like so many businesses around here. Tabasco owners were fined some 5,700 bucks and the restaurant will remain closed until the environmental requirements are fulfilled. There’s a lot of fighting among the bar owners on that beach, and the smart money is on someone, (we have a suspect in mind), dropping a dime on Tabasco.

Here Comes The Light.

Again. Maybe. Could be. This time it’s for sure, for sure claims Emilio Costich, director of the Los Cabos Public Works agency. The 874/2000 light poles between Cabo and San Jose have been promised for the end of every month since last fall. Each public relations release that comes out of city hall bounces back and forth on the number of light poles there are, and we don’t know anyone who hasn’t lost track trying to count them on the 22 mile stretch.

The problem is Baja Signs is in charge of the install and they keep making overly optimistic predictions of the big Turn On. So far, only about 30 percent of the lights have twinkled on and many of those have twinkled off again. Looks like when Baja Signs is good and ready, they will flip the switch and there will be light. The problem is, by the time they’ve worked their way from end to end, the end where they started is already non operational.

Just a suggestion: Set these up like modern day Christmas lights, where if one light goes off, it doesn’t crash the entire string of lights. Duh. And bill us for 874 lights, not 2,000.

Autism conferences announced. Red Autismo, the local charity that devotes its efforts to helping people with autism or autistic next of kin, will hold a series of conferences on Saturday, April 2 at the Cultural House in San Jose, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The theme is, “Getting to know the autistic disorder spectrum: a different and peculiar development, which includes sub-themes such as: the autistic disorder spectrum and its implications, neuropsychology of autism, evaluation and diagnose process, therapeutic approach, educational and social environment and me and my family.

And in celebration of the World Autism Awareness Day, which falls on Saturday April 2, the Red Autismo organization will hold a beach meeting at El Tule, halfway between Cabo and San Jose from 8:00 to 10:00 am. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend. For information, contact Maria Moreno 624-120-6328, email info@redautismo.org or look up www.redautismo.org

Las Vegas expanding to Cabo. FamousVegas night club owner Victor Drai will soon open a Drai’s night club and beach club here in Cabo San Lucas. Also, Darin Feinstein, owner of Red Mercury Entertainment who also owns The Viper Room in Los Angeles once owned by Johnny Depp, is opening a Viper Room in Cabo. When? Where? That’s not been disclosed at this time. But you sorta heard it here first.

Bathrooms! Santa Maria beach, one of our most pristine, located at Km. 12 on the fourlane outside of Cabo, now has decent parking, bathrooms, showers, palapas and security, all thanks to the Vista Serena tourist development that was built near there. Santa Maria is one of our favorite beaches, ideal for snorkeling but had no shade at all. Vista Serena ponied up because this was part of their developers fees.

Tennis tourney does Cabo. This August the ATP 250 tournament will take place in Cabo. ATP stands for Asociación de Tenistas Profesionales, or professional tennis players association.

The tourney will have a total financial commitment of nearly $800,000. The new hard court tournament will take place from August 8 to August 14, which will surely give at least the less hearty players heat stroke. Did anybody even think of that?

Tournament director Jose Fernandez is expecting to use the new courts at the new Solaz resort, which is currently under construction on the fourlane between Cabo and San Jose. The resort’s complex will seat 3,500 people at its stadium, he said, and we believe him. Well, we have to believe him, because Solaz has a nice ad with us. But if they didn’t, we would have to suggest a back up plan be put in place because the very large and very beautiful resort has a long way to go before being finished. The race is on.

Wild star in Cabo. Reese Witherspoon, who was the main attraction of last year’s Los Cabos international film festival, returned to Cabo last week to celebrate her 40th birthday with her girl squad. Witherspoon Instagramed her trip, captioning it, “Paradise Found!”. Along with her birthday, Witherspoon will also celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary with her husband, Jim Toth, later this month.

East Cape hotel turns 40. The Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort, located in, ahem, Buenavista on the East Cape, about an hour and a half north of San Jose, is turning 40 years old this year. We hate to be critical of our own home town here, but Reese Witherspoon has held up a whole lot better than that old hotel.

A fishing tournament will take place at the Grand Old Lady, (the hotel, not Ms. Witherspoon), next fall with a 40 years old theme. For more information look up: www.hotelbuenavista.com

Fishing vessel abandoned. The sardine fishing boat named El Cachanilla, flying an Ensenada flag, beached in at Vizcaino bay, a preserved natural area and home to migrating whales and their babies.

Although the crew was rescued unharmed, the boat remains there, as a threat to the environment with its nearly 1,000 gallons of fuel still onboard. Mexican Navy sailors and boaty type expert people from neighboring Guerrero Negro are monitoring the vessel, which so far has not leaked any fuel. As soon as help arrives, they will tow the boat away and prevent a fuel discharge in such a delicate area.

Far be it from us to tell anyone how to do their job, but if those federal officers would just go get a beer somewhere and stop watching the distressed boat, we have no doubt the neighbors would descend on the problem with Jerry cans and suck all the fuel out in about 20
minutes.